This invention relates generally to a bowler's accessory tool, and more particularly, to a tool for readily altering the size of finger holes in a bowling ball.
One of the most popular participant sports in America today is bowling; and the most popular variation of bowling is ten pins. In ten pin bowling, a bowler throws a ball, typically weighing between ten and sixteen pounds, along a lane approximately sixty-four feet long from one end at ten bowling pins located in a triangular pattern at the opposite end. Due to the weight of the ball, it has finger holes to facilitate gripping during the throwing motion. Typically, the finger holes accommodate the thumb and two fingers. The holes in the ball are drilled at specific locations and with particular sizes tailored to the bowler's hand and finger dimensions to provide the most comfortable grip on the ball to maximize the throwing efficiency.
During a bowling session, the forces exerted on the hand during the ball-throwing action cause the bowler's fingers to swell or contract. This results in an improper fit between the fingers and the ball finger holes, with a concomitant decrease in the efficiency with which the ball is thrown. The serious bowler thus has to go to the expense of carrying a plurality of balls having respectively different finger hole sizes. This, however, does not always solve the problem of finger size change since the degree of change in finger size is not necessarily the same during each bowling session. Therefore, some bowlers carry equipment to alter the hole size such as files to enlarge the holes or tape to decrease (shim) the holes. The carrying of files, of course, adds to the amount of equipment which must be packed and cared for. Moreover, manual placement of the tape in the holes to form a smooth surface has been extremely tedious since the tape tends to stick to the finger hole (or itself) before being properly positioned within the finger hole.